Whatever you call the rich white food from milk when it is fermented by bacteria, a food that even people with lactose intolerance enjoy (because lactose has been broken down into simple sugars and lactic acid), a food that has a "tang" or sourness that makes a nice base for many delicious foods like lassi or yogurt fruit shakes, raita, and many sauces, this food is not only good for your body, it is also good if you want to lose weight.

Rule #2: Eat yogurt.

Why? Because a lot of evidence points to yogurt helping people lose weight.

Take research published in 2005 on obese patients who were all eating the same low-calorie diet for 12 weeks, but among whom one group ate yogurt everyday while the other group did not and instead took a calcium supplement. Guess who lost more weight... Right, the people eating yogurt, and by an average of 4.4 kg (or almost 10 lbs) weight loss versus 2.8 kg loss.

Guess who in that study lost more trunkal fat (this is the baddest fat, the one around your belly that causes diseases like diabetes). Right again, the people eating yogurt, and on average they lose 81% more trunkal fat than those who did not have yogurt. The authors of this study say that dietary calcium has an anti-obesity effect by reducing levels of calcitriol (the form of Vitamin D that behaves as a hormone), which helps increase the "burning" of fat, but something about getting the calcium in the form of yogurt makes the "fat-burning" effect even more powerful.

Take research from Harvard's School of Public Health in 2011 and authored by some of the biggest names in nutrition research (Dariush Mozaffarian, Walter Willett, Frank Hu). In a landmark study looking at what over 120,000 people in the U.S. ate over many years (up to 20 years in one group), these authors found no single food is more associated with weight loss than plain ol' yogurt.

Their data showed people who ate yogurt regularly lost about 1 pound every 4 years. What, is 1 lb (or 2.2 kg) weight loss every 4 years not a lot? Perhaps. But consider this: the average person in the study gained 3 lbs (6.6 kg) every 4 years. In other words, people who ate yogurt regularly lost a little weight while the average person gained weight.

Yogurt helps you lose weight because of the effect of calcium, and also because it makes you feel full and less hungry. There may be another cause behind why yogurt seems to work.

At this point I should mention that you must not eat yogurt sweetened with sugar or corn syrup. That is the majority of yogurt available in the U.S. and other parts of the world too. This will have the opposite effect, because sugars and carbs cause you to become fat more than anything else.

So if you want to lose weight and still make your yogurt taste sweet, mix fresh fruit with it. Bottom line is this: the Healthy Indian eats yogurt everyday to help the fat go away.

Disclaimer: The facts, advice and opinion on www.healthyindiandiet.com are based on scientific evidence published in journals. However, no content should be construed as medical advice. You should seek the counsel of your physician before making changes based on the content, especially if you have a medical condition.

This site is for people who want to eat healthy and love Indian food. Consult your physician before making changes to your diet. To the fullest extent of the law, neither the publisher or authors assume any liability for consequences to persons or property arising out of or related to any use of the material on this website.